The game turned on Hakeem Odoffin's equaliser in first-half stoppage-time, but in his first game as the Millers' caretaker manager he admitted he struggled to get the messages on during the first 45 minutes, but was pleased to see them take them on board during the interval.

"I think first half when we look back at it there'll be bits where we're disappointed as a staff that we didn't get messages on to the players quicker but I thought once we changed things at half-time, the second half they responded to it," said the former midfielder. "In the second half I thought we were more than good for a point.

"We had good chances albeit they had chances as well. I thought the momentum shifted from them being dominant in the first half to us second half getting a good foothold in the game and pushing them backwards.

"You saw in the second half when they see something we've worked on start to work, you see the confidence grow."

Carlisle was put in charge of the team after the sacking of his former manager Matt Taylor two weeks ago. Rotherham play again on Tuesday, at Hull City, and he is working on the basis he will still be in charge for that.

"We prepped for the Hull match this afternoon," he revealed. "We came up with a gameplan off the back of the players' availability.

"I'll take charge if needs be on Tuesday night but if someone else is in charge, that's entirely up to them."

But even though Carlisle is keen to get the job permanently, he was at great pains to point out what a team effort the point had been.

"I'd love to sit here and take all the credit but I've got probably 15 staff that have worked equally as hard as me and they've all contributed to it," he stressed. "You've got physios getting people back, S&C (strength and conditioning) guys, (coach) Dan Scott helping me... everyone's really chipped in and most importantly the players have applied themselves and taken it on board and gone about their business the right way.

"I'd love to take the credit but I can't!"

Wayne Carlisle's first half-time team talk as Rotherham United caretaker manager crucial to 1-1 draw